Thursday, January 27 2005 18:08 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kolkata: Marxist veteran Jyoti Basu today (Jan 27, 2005) advised that tolerance and mutual understanding on part of both the Congress and the Left parties were essential for the smooth sailing of the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) Government at the Centre.

''Tolerance and mutual understanding on part of both Congress and the supporting partners, the Left parties, are essential'', Basu said at a special convocation of the Institute of Advanced Studies in Education, which conferred on him special honours for his 'remarkable achievement in long political career'.

Stating that he and his party CPM (Communist Party of India-Marxist) were strongly in favour of ensuring full five-year term of the UPA Government, Basu said that it had been agreed that the Left parties had the right to openly criticise the Government in and outside Parliament and take recourse to movements if there was disagreement in the joint committees of Congress-led Government and them (Left parties).

''But we desire that the coalition Government at the Centre continues for five years in the interest of secularism and for strengthening our noble objective of unity in diversity and following an independent foreign policy not subservient to the USA'', he said.